Sherdog.com’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10

Over the course of a UFC tenure that began in 2004, Georges St.
Pierre has compiled one of the most impressive resumes in all
of mixed martial arts.

At
UFC 167, St. Pierre added to those credentials with a
controversial split verdict over Johny
Hendricks. In his 12th straight win, “Rush” absorbed a number
of heavy blows from the two-time NCAA national champion wrestler,
including one that closed the champion’s right eye and another that
staggered him in the second round. At the end of the night, St.
Pierre’s face told a far different tale than the judges’
scorecards. Still, the Tristar Gym representative found a way to
win through serious adversity, which, no matter the circumstances,
is a sign of a champion.

Shortly after his hard-fought win over Hendricks, St. Pierre
expressed a desire to step away from the sport he has helped to
build. While UFC President Dana White was none too fond of the
idea, the 32-year-old Canadian clearly needs a break. Whether his
hiatus is more temporary or permanent is unclear. His status among
the sport’s pound-for-pound best, despite the contentious nature of
his most recent triumph, is unquestioned.

Heading into the UFC 165 main event, Jones viewed his showdown with
Alexander Gustafsson as a chance to cement his place as the
greatest light heavyweight champion in promotion history. While
“Bones” was able to surpass Tito Ortiz’s record for 205-pound title
defenses with a unanimous decision triumph, he learned that the
6-foot-5 Swede measured up to the challenge in more ways than just
height. While 25 hard-fought minutes against “The Mauler” exposed
more chinks in the New York native’s armor than his previous five
title defenses combined, Jones also displayed admirable heart in
the face of adversity. An eventual rematch with Gustafsson appears
inevitable, but surging Brazilian Glover Teixeira is expected to
face the pound-for-pound king sometime in March.

The featherweight division’s Brazilian ace was not at his
leg-kicking best at UFC 163, thanks to a foot injury sustained
early in the bout; but, as champions do, Aldo found a way to win.
When challenger Chan Sung Jung separated his shoulder in the fourth
round, Aldo pounced on his wounded foe and pounded out his fifth
consecutive title defense. While the Nova Uniao fighter continues
to discuss a potential move up to lightweight, his next challenge
will come at 145 pounds when he defends his belt against Ricardo
Lamas at UFC 169.

Controversial scorecards aside, St. Pierre’s grit and perseverance
in his five-round title defense against Johny Hendricks showed how
GSP has managed to inhabit this list for so long. St. Pierre looked
battered but never beaten at UFC 167, continuing to press on and
fight through all that the hard-hitting Hendricks had to offer,
ultimately adding the “Bigg Rigg” to his list of vanquished
challengers. Though the fight’s outcome clearly warranted a
rematch, it remains to be seen when -- or even if -- we will see
St. Pierre in the cage again.

Velasquez removed any doubt as to who is the best heavyweight in
the world by administering a brutal beating to Junior dos Santos at
UFC 166. The final bout of the trilogy was never really in doubt,
as the American Kickboxing Academy ace dominated in the clinch and
rarely allowed his opponent any space to unleash his formidable
boxing. Velasquez dropped his opponent in the third round and
earned the stoppage late in the fifth, where dos Santos finally
wilted after hitting his head on the canvas following a failed
guillotine attempt. Brazilian submission specialist Fabricio Werdum
will likely be granted the next shot at the champ, although a date
for that bout has not been determined. What is clear is that with
triumphs over the likes of dos Santos (twice), Antonio Rodridgo
Nogueira, Antonio Silva (twice) and Brock Lesnar, Velasquez already
ranks among the sport’s all-time heavyweight greats.

For the first time in 17 UFC appearances, Silva’s night ended
without his hand being raised at UFC 162. After taunting, baiting
and clowning Chris Weidman for little more than a round, the
Brazilian met his demise when the challenger connected with a left
hook and follow-up punches to put a shocking and abrupt end to
Silva’s championship reign 1:18 into round two. Until he steps into
the Octagon again, the debate will rage on as to why “The Spider”
suffered the first loss of his UFC career. Was it his apparent
disregard for Weidman’s skills or was it something deeper, such as
a waning motivation to compete? Silva took up UFC President Dana
White on his offer of an immediate rematch and will try to take
back his belt at UFC 168 in December.

For months, Weidman claimed he was the man to dethrone reigning
middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva. In
the UFC 162 main event, he backed up his talk, knocking out the
Brazilian a little more than a minute into the second frame. The
Serra-Longo Fight Team member has demonstrated rapid progression in
each fight, and his blend of wrestling, jiu-jitsu and constantly
improving standup makes him a formidable obstacle for any potential
challenger. Weidman will attempt to repeat his feat and prove his
win over Silva was no fluke when they rematch on Dec. 28.

There is “Mighty Mouse,” and then there is the rest of the
flyweight division. The UFC’s lightest champ used his unparalleled
speed and potent ground game to place challenger John Moraga firmly
in the latter camp on July 27, when Johnson scored his long-desired
first finish in the Octagon via fifth-round armbar. With wins over
Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall and John Dodson, Johnson has already
gone through the best the weight class has to offer. Benavidez has
won three straight fights since falling to the AMC Pankration
standout, however, and their initial meeting was a closely
contested split verdict. As a result, Benavidez will get another
shot at Johnson at UFC on Fox 9.

Pettis needed five rounds and the remarkable “Showtime” kick to
wrest the WEC belt from Benson Henderson in 2010, but he required
far less time to earn his second victory over “Smooth” and become
the new UFC lightweight king. In the UFC 164 headliner, Pettis
softened his opponent with a series of brutal body kicks and then
locked in a fight-ending armbar with 29 seconds left in round one.
About the only thing that went wrong for Pettis was a knee injury
he suffered while checking a kick. While the ailment was diagnosed
as a sprain, lingering issues with the knee have forced the
Roufusport standout to withdraw from a UFC on Fox 9 showdown with
Josh Thomson.

With one spectacular spinning back kick to the face of challenger
Eddie Wineland, Barao continued to put more distance between
himself and the “temporary” label. With a resume that includes
triumphs over Brad Pickett, Scott Jorgensen, Urijah Faber, Michael
McDonald and the aforementioned Wineland, nobody can deny that
Barao has earned his current spot atop the division. The Brazilian
will attempt to make his standing official when he welcomes
reigning titlist Dominick Cruz back to the Octagon at UFC 169.

After seven consecutive triumphs to begin his UFC career, “Smooth”
relinquished his lightweight crown to the same man who snatched WEC
gold from his clutches in December 2010: Anthony Pettis. The MMA
Lab product had no answer for Pettis’ dynamic attack at UFC 164, as
“Showtime” had Henderson reeling with a series of hard body kicks
before finishing the fight with an armbar from guard in the opening
frame. The emphatic nature of the loss means there will be no
immediate rematch for Henderson, but his impressive track record
figures to keep him booked in significant fights for the
foreseeable future. Henderson will return to the cage in January,
when he squares off with Josh Thomson in the UFC on Fox 10
headliner.